I've been tagged

I have been tagged by joyinthemoment:

1. What is your full name? love my cottage garden
2. What are you most afraid of? losing a loved one
3. What is the most recent movie that you’ve seen in the theater? the Invisible, Blades of Glory
4. Where were you born? Fort Worth, Texas YAHOOO!!
5. What is your favorite food? Grilled Shrimp
6. What is your natural hair color? DK Brownish reddish
7. Have you ever been to Alaska? No...too cold
8. Have you ever toilet papered someone’s house? No, I don't like messy
9. Have you ever loved someone so much it made you cry? Yep
10. Have you ever been in a car accident? Yes!
11. Croutons or bacon bits? croutons
12. What is your favorite day of the week? Saturday if hubby is not working
13. What is your favorite restaurant? Up in Massachusetts, there is an awesome fish restaurant called 507
14. What is your favorite flower? Do I have to choose? I love them all, this month it is the zephrine rose.
15. What is your favorite sport to watch? none, i don't watch sports
16. What is your favorite sport to play? hiking
17. What is your favorite drink? sweet tea
18. What is your favorite ice cream? blue bell homemade vanilla
19. Disney or Warner Brothers? WB
20. Have you ever been on a ship? like a cruise ship? No
21. What color is your bedroom carpet? cream
22. How many times did you fail your driver’s test? 0
23. Who was your last e-mail from? Caren
24. When is your usual bedtime? bed by 10 sleep by who knows when, i have insomnia
25. What is your favorite TV show? The Office (I love to laugh)
26. Who was the last person you went to dinner with? hubby
27. What are your favorite colors? red and black for my clothes, burgundy, browns, and olive greens for home decor. Flowers: all colors but yellow really pops with purple
28. How many tattoos/piercings do you have and where and what are they? ears only. no tats!
29. How many pets do you have? 1 awesomely spoiled chihuahua
30. List something you would like to do before you die. visit the rainforest
31. Have you ever been to Hawaii? no
32. Have you ever been to countries outside of the US? Mexico, Spain, dominican republic, and jamaica, California
33. What were you/will you be doing at 31 and 32 years old? Raising my wonderful children, experiencing PTA, just being a mom and loving it. I miss those elementary school years!

simplify life

I have insomnia tonight. So here I am at the computer reading. I ran across something to think about. Following is a snippet from Tom Spencer in Austin:

"University of Texas Professor, John Rodden, talked to us about simplifying our lives- or as he put it, the pursuit of clarity, commitment, and community in relationship to the divine.

It was a tremendous presentation about the choices we make that either weigh us down, or lighten our movement through our lives. It was an evening filled with useful concepts; one central idea had to do with recognizing our own limitations, that we cannot have or know it ALL, that we have to be humble enough to trust in the mystery that lies around the next bend.

Both the gardener, and searcher within recognized the wisdom of what he was saying. The countless choices we make are all part of a balancing act that we perfom, knowingly or not.
I recently participated in the Mayfield Park Gardening Symposium and gave a talk called "Finding the Soul of the Garden." In that talk, I used the following quote from Stephen Mitchell's translation of the Tao te Ching:

Fill your bowl to the brim
and it will spill.
Keep sharpening your knife
and it will blunt.
Chase after money and security
and your heart will never unclench.
Care about people's approval
and you will be their prisoner.
Do your work, then step back.
The only path to serenity.

As we till the soil of our gardens and our lives, the work that must be performed is really the work of sorting through the countless choices that barrage us.

Are our decisions, our "commitments," lifting us up, or dragging us down?
Do they bring beauty and utility into our lives? Or, are we merely sharpening knives that were whittled down to nothing years ago?
In gardening terms, are our gardens acts of loving co-creation, or obsessions that over rule our thoughts and deeds? The key to simplification is balance, a good idea on the pathway through life."

Beautiful restful somewhat boring day

poppies upview of poppies

downview of poppies (double)

fountain with rose petals

different angle with some larkspur on the side

Jerusalem Sage

plants to plant

Easter decor

scared cows

our backyard

This is my backyard. It is coming around nicely. The grass is struggling but the flowers are awesome. The gardens have come a long way. The area to the right where all the tall meadow is the designated wildflower native texas area. I am trying each year to let it reseed and see what comes of the natural area. Before this neighborhood was developed, it was filled with wildflowers and fossils and of course birds. Today the cows broke loose and were eating almost all the way to the rock wall of our house before I took lilann out on the leash and she played cowdog. She chased them away and they were mad. Here is the photo I took when we got back.

Roby and I went on a long 2 hours hike today in the area they are developing to the north of us. It is going to be a large neighbor hood. The creek is beautiful, we even saw some fish. Lil'ann got a work out and so did we. I planted some of my buys from yesterdays venture to Hares Nursery off Division street. She did not fail me. As usual she had all the awesome plants and great deals. To get there take 820 exit Lancaster, go east thru Handley, then continue on for a way, go under the cooks ln bridge and she will be on the right hand side of the road before the curve. It is worth the trip. Great deals, great flowers, nice people.!!!! Roby dug the hole and put up the birdfeeder his dad made for me. It is just like I had on Parkhill, I was so excited to get it up. The hummers have been fighting at their feeders, I am going to try and get a pix of them soon.

I am still fighting the sadness of this weeks tragedy. It makes me miss Ben sooooo much. I truly feel for those families. Their children are innocent victims of a horrific sicko! Why can we not reach out and help these people before they do stuff like this. There has got to be more that can be done for mental patients. There has got to be help! To many tears and sadnesss for such young kids that are just trying to make something of themselves. I am sad.

Flower time

Today my iris finally bloomed. It is gorgeous. I also have some beautiful ox-eye daisy in my front garden. My poppies have started blooming and the hydrangea is awesome. Rain is now starting to fall and storms are looming. It is pouring down rain.

Super tough Texas Plants

I have been walking around my garden and I am amazed at certain plants and the progress they have made over the past couple of years.

Here are some of my awesome performers (pix later):
Jerusalem Plant
Zephrine Rose
Old Blush Climber
Autumn sage (a no brainer)
Vitex
Yellow lady banks rose
pincushion
snowdrops
russian sage
bridal wreath
hollyhock(always on the move)
hot lips salvia
Purple verbena
red poppies
larkspur
Red cascade rose

Oh I know there is more but I have to wait till it is light outside and then I will cruise the garden and take some pix and add more. These are the plants that I don't have to baby, they just perform well for me so far. This weekend we go on our wildflower excursion down south. I just know it will be beautiful!! I will try and be a good photographer and share.

Big Sister visits

Mom and Lisa Mom and Me

Me and Lisa

My big sister is in town. I haven't seen her in 8 years. Who knows? Anyway, we went to the beautiful Botanical Gardens. I just love that place. Such beauty, great ideas, and pure tranquility!! I should have taken more pix. Oh well, that is a good excuse for me to go back. I don't really need an excuse, but if I did that would be a good one. We also visited a few of the local candle stores (gotta check out our competition).

I taught Baylee how to mow so she can make her insurance money. She did a pretty good job and didn't even complain. I told her she would be building some muscles and she just gave me that "you're wierd" stare. Oh well, better to be wierd than boring.

Back to work for me, and then maybe some bermuda short shopping. I just know we are going to be in the 80's before long and then the 90's, so I will need the shorts for sure.

American Idol update: The show needs some spunk. I don't know what is going on this season but it seems this Sanjaya guy has taken over the show and personally it is kinda getting annoying. Blake needs the attention. He has great talent and I think he needs more media. Oh well, JLO was gorgeous as usual. It is nice to see a Hollywood gal that has not become a stick figure. Curves are so much more attractive. Shake your groove thang. I need a motown night! Or maybe a Rolling Stone or Eagles, something with pizzazz!!

Fossil Hunt

Fossil Hunt Find! Tomorrow I hunt again! These are the plants I rescued!

They are moving the land around me again. Which means one thing good....they uncover fossils. I had fun this evening hunting them out. I found a nice size one and had to carry it quite a ways to the street (all the time the dog was on the leash pulling the other direction). As you can see I was determined to get this fossil. Now I will have to find a place for it in the garden. The yard is starting to come together and it finally feels like it is mine. I brought in all the porch plants for the freeze and even yanked a few fresh plantings out of the ground. Tomorrow I will be busy in the warm weather (hopefully warm) replanting things. I want a long spring, not an early summer. Not picky no I am just wishful! Ha!!

Snowing in April

Hollyhock leaves

Lilann's Monkey!

I look out my window and what do I see?

Snow, snow, falling so beautifully!!!

Only then I realize it is April and this doesn't happen in Texas that often.

So I grabbed my camera and ran outside to see if I could capture the flakes.

They don't show up too well unless you blow the pix up poster size but I can see them,

so I thought I would share them.

Poor tomatoes are doomed but the monkey likes it.

Hummers have been zooming around the feeder.

It is cold, but I now see how beautiful snow is on the top of spring blooming flowers. Gorgeous for an Easter weekend. Lets be thankful for the free cool air, next week we could be paying for this! HA!

Flowers before the cold snap!

Here is JD (Saginaw Firefighter) and his buddy getting all those bees out of our tree for us. I hope they are able to keep some alive. They are headed to a farm in Peaster.

Purple Pincushion Flower!

Snowball bush

Old Blush climbing on the front fence!

Old Blush coming over the back fence and the rejected birdhouse!

The beautiful Texas Bluebonnet

Zephrine Rose
Some of my beautiful flowers in my spring garden

before the coldspell moves thru,

even though my body says it is freezing already.

Poor tomatoes are already in the ground. I am just hoping they make it or I will be back at the store getting some more. Why does mother nature trick us every year? It was just a few days ago and it was almost 90 degrees.

Beehive YIKES!

Yikes! Look what I found in our oak tree today! I was sitting on the front porch and thought I saw a bird's nest and went to see why there were so many bees around it! Oh no!! What to do now!
Who ya gonna call! Beebusters!

I called hubby at the Firestation and he said don't worry about it. Then I sent him this photo. He then told me that one of the guys at the firestation is a beekeeper and he will be out Thursday to pick up the bees!! Wow! That is gonna be fun! I hope I am here to see it. I cannot imagine why in the world they would want to come here to our tiny tree. I am guessing maybe they lived in the area next to me that a developer came in and cut all the trees down to build more houses. Poor wildlife is just being pushed around. Oh yeah, yesterday I saw a baby deer in the clearing between the trees of the green area outside the kitchen window. And the day before a turkey trotted by on the lot behind us probably looking for a mate. It is nice to live out by nature for a little while longer and then a developer will come in to take over the land.

Wish me luck with my bees!!

I hope I'm not 92 before I can do this....

A good friend of mine sent me this today and I so needed it. I had to share it on my blog so that I can have it here to come back to often.

I hope I'm not 92 before I can learn how to do this.....

A 92-year-old, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably coifed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window. "I love it," he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy. "Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait." That doesn't have anything to do with it," he replied. "Happines s is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged ... it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it." It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away. Just for this time in my life. Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in> >> the bank account of memories! Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing."

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

I am adding another rule and that is:
SMILE and laugh often!!!!

Back from LA

Sprinkle cupcakes in Beverly Hills!! Yummy! We ate here the 1st and last day!!Baylee got to be on the former set of Friends.

Her she is with Phoebe's guitar.

Baylee with her favorite star, Johnny Depp! Baylee before we got kicked out of Louis Vouitton for taking this picture of the ugly dresses that cost over $4000!

Shopping on Rodeo Drive. (Melrose is better)

Muscle Beach, Venice!

Cold Water!

Johnny Depps Viper Room.

The best cupcakes in the world!!!

Outside our hotel! our myspace picture! HA

A star's mansion in Beverly Hills!

Our Bed and Breakfast hope. Sylvester! He is going to be in a new show on NBC called Life.

Danny Bonaduce at the Hardrock cafe! He looks rough but he is was very friendly!

Wow what a trip. I have drifted off to another Universe and cannot seem to return. Ever since we returned 2 weeks ago, I have not even been normal or even close to functioning. I feel so robotic. What did LA do to me? I have to get out of this fog. I think maybe it was the smog there or maybe the wonderful Sprinkles cupcakes. It could have been the fact that we were surrounded by strange. Maybe it is because I am still starstuck from seeing "Chandler" Matthew Perry and Danny Bonaduce. Maybe it is because I witnessed such materialism. Or maybe it is just the wonderful scent of lemon and orange tree blossoms. Whatever it is, I have got to find my way back to the sane world.

Spring Break!

On Monday the trip begins!
Yay! Mom, Me, and Baylee head to Hollywood.
Girls trip! Funtime!

Spring flowers need showers

My pink hyacinths are blooming. My purple verbena are blooming. My fringeflower is blooming.......... My pincushion flower is blooming. My daffodils have been blooming. My chickweed and dandelions are blooming (UGH not good).!!!! My, my, my everything is budding out and looking alive. I am hoping no late freeze but we know better than that, there is always a late freeze. I have been working to keep the vegies watered. We have not had a drop of rain in it seems like forever. I am going to have to do a rain dance soon! Ha! That would be funny. I dance like a chicken.